Major and Latest Boxing news in Ghana
I’ll extend amateur boxing beyond Bombers - Quartey
A presidential candidate in Saturday’s Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) elective congress slated for the Accra Stadium, Bernard Quartey, says amateur boxing goes beyond the Black Bombers which is what he seeks to achieve if elected by the delegates.
He promised to jettison what he termed as the ‘one man show’ leadership rendered by incumbent George Lamptey and put in place an all-inclusive leadership that would benefit all.
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“The Ghana Boxing Federation encompasses male and female boxing, juvenile boxing and youth boxing; as it stands now, only one is being promoted and that is the Black Bombers and I will change that,” Mr Quartey told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview in Accra last Sunday.
Weak foundation
He said the fundamentals were weak with regard to the federation’s mission and vision and that the GBF lacked a strong foundation to harness talents for the national cause.
“I kept trumpeting in the ears of the president to ensure our referees and judges get certified by AIBA, and our trainers get the best of techniques from AIBA, but as I speak, we don’t have a single certified referee or judge from AIBA which is why I want to change things,” he stressed.
The Assistant Superintendent of the Ghana Immigration Service promised to build the capacity of referees and judges in the amateur division by organising AIBA courses for them to become AIBA certified coaches.
“In the absence of Coach Kwasi Ofori Asare, what happens to the Black Bombers?, there will be no certified amateur boxing coach to take the Black Bombers to any AIBA competition and currently, this is where we are,” he lamented.
More medals
He contended that after six years at the helm of affairs, incumbent George Lamptey had only bronze medals to boast of when Ghana could have won more medals with the numerous talents at its disposal.
“I will organise regular boxing competitions, comprising amateur boxers in the various boxing gyms across the country for both juveniles and amateurs,” he hinted.
He vowed to take the sport outside the confines of Accra by organising regular competitions in the other regions to create awareness of amateur boxing.